Personally, I don’t think this is a question. I am a firm believer in crate training your dog.

Regardless of their heritage, dogs have been domesticated, and continue to change to adapt to the new environments we bring them into. This means indoor life. If you start early, crate training can be quite easy, and an effective way to keep your dog (and your home) safe and content while you’re away.

There are a few things to consider if you’re debating on crate training your dog. The biggest thing is, if this is a puppy, you really don’t know what they’ll be like as they grow. Maybe they’ll be a destructive dog, or a chewer. Chances are good you aren’t going to be with your dog 24/7, and at some point will need to leave your dog on their own. Are you willing to risk your possessions, your home, or the safety of your dog, on the chance your dog will be okay to be left alone?

The second point is the unknown future. Regardless of your situation now, there’s a chance your lifestyle or situation may change in the future. What if you have to move? What if you get a different job, with a different schedule? What if (heaven forbid) something were to happen where you are unable to keep your dog with you?

A crate can be a familiar place for a dog, something consistent that can help them adjust to new places/situations. If you move, their crate moves with them, and they have a familiar place in an unfamiliar situation. Think of it as their little home inside your home. If you have to switch schedules, their crate is already familiar to them, which will help them adjust. If they have to be re-homed, their crate can go with them and they’ll have a safe place in the midst of the chaos and adjusting period, as well as make it easier on their new family and their schedule/environement/needs.

Since I believe the best time to start crate training is when your dog is a puppy, here are a few steps you can take to help get your pup adjusted to their crate.

1. Make sure the crate is the right size for your dog. If your puppy is expected to get quite a lot bigger, try to find a crate with a divider so you can keep it the right size throughout their growing process while keeping the crate the same. You want the crate to be big enough for the puppy to stand, turn, and lie down in, but not so big that they have a ton of extra room where they could feel comfortable to eliminate and not have to lie in.

2. Start feeding your puppy in their crate. This way they’ll associate the crate with good feelings.

3. Reward your puppy with affection (and/or treats) when they voluntarily go into their crate on their own throughout the day.

4. Start the crate in an area where you spend a lot of time. Your puppy is probably going to be following you around and will want to keep an eye on you, so this will help if they can be in the same room as you most of the time.

5. NIGHT TIME – this is usually where people will give up. Your puppy has been taken from the only home they’ve ever known, along with their litter-mates. They are going to be lonely, especially at night when they’re used to curling up with their mom, brothers, and sisters. Chances are good they will cry. My only recommendation is to stay strong. Getting up to get your puppy every time they cry is teaching them they can get your attention with it, and that’s a bad habit to start. (Keep in mind you will need to let your puppy out at night to eliminate, I recommend setting a timer and getting up before your puppy starts crying if you can. This will also help teach your puppy to eliminate on command, which is super helpful going forward.)

6. Some will recommend you keep the crate in your room overnight, which may help comfort your puppy as they won’t be alone, and make it easier for you to get up to let them out. This will depend on your puppy and your own tolerance of what will likely be a loud adjusting period. I can tell you from personal experience this did NOT work on one of my dogs, she did much better in her own space where she couldn’t hear me. Covering the crate with a blanket (as long as the room isn’t hot) can also help tremendously. You’ll want to leave some openings for air flow.

7. Start putting your puppy in their crate for short periods during the day. After playtime when they’re tired is an excellent time to try this, as they’ll be less likely to get agitated. Again, covering the crate can help settle them down.

8. Hopefully your dog isn’t going to be left for long periods of time on a regular basis, but I believe it’s best to try and train them for it just in case this happens unexpectedly. Continue to increase the amount of time your puppy is in their crate during the day to help them adjust.

There are a few don’ts you’ll also want to keep in mind when crate-training your puppy.

1. DON’T use the crate as punishment. This needs to be a safe space for your dog, and as such they should not have any negative associations with it. If you need to put your puppy in time-out, use a different space (the bathroom, with garbage, toilet paper, and other chewables removed, for example).

2. DON’T leave your puppy alone with toys (ESPECIALLY STUFFIES), bones, or chewing treats in their crate. This rule applies as they grow older as well. Dogs should never be left unsupervised with chewable things, as they can easily end up consuming things they shouldn’t, which can lead to many complications (choking, blocked stomachs/intestines, etc.). And no matter how sturdy you think a toy is, it’s pretty much a guarantee that your dog would be able to find a way to destroy it.

3. DON’T leave a puppy in a crate for longer than they can hold their bladder (about half an hour to an hour for every month of age is a good rule of thumb, except after they’ve eaten or played). You do not want your puppy to use the crate as an elimination spot. Most puppies and dogs will be disinclined to do this anyway as they’ll start associating the crate with a ‘den’, but it’s good to keep them out of this habit early.

I believe crate training your puppy is for their own good, and can help save you a lot of grief in the future.

Have any more tips or suggestions for crate training? Leave them in the comments!

Puppies. The fur babies of our hearts.

I know a few parents of children get a bit angsty when they hear people call their pets fur babies, but hopefully they understand how we mean it.

A puppy is similar to a baby in a lot of ways. You have to feed it often. You have to take it out to eliminate even more often, 24/7, -30 or otherwise. Puppies need attention, playtime, and instruction. Basically, they own your time and your life for the first year or so. Not as long as a baby, but you see where the term came from.

So, moving on.

Puppies are a challenge. I’d never had a dog before, we were always too busy growing up, and then there was post-secondary, then finding a job, trying to establish some sort of routine in my life, on and on. I talked about getting a dog for years and years, but never seemed to have the time. I spent hours and hours researching different types of dogs, various training techniques, what to expect, what to feed them, crate training vs. not crate training, etc., etc.. I always had doubts about whether I should, was this the right time, am I secure enough in my job, can I really afford a puppy...

Eventually I decided if I wanted to get a dog, I needed to make it happen. After asking my boss and everyone in my workplace if they’d be okay with me bringing a puppy in to work, I decided to do it. So I moved from my studio apartment in downtown Calgary, because it was not pet friendly, to a townhouse with a roommate (AND a cat), solely to get a puppy.

Here’s the thing about animals. They don’t know, and don’t care, that you rearranged your entire life just for them. Same as babies again. They. Don’t. Care. They have basic, elemental needs, and you’ve just established yourself as their provider when you took them from their mother and littermates. You’re it, kid. So if you’re expecting them to appreciate you, don’t. For quite some time at least.

For me, it was probably well into year two before I felt that connection with Jas where I was more than just a provider. Even still, Belle has only been in our house for two months, and I already feel a stronger connection with her. Dogs have dramatically different personalities, just like people.

And they can be infuriating. For example, one of Jas’s specialties was coming back inside after I’d let her out to eliminate, her refusing to go outside, and immediately peeing or pooping upon re-entry to the house. Immediately. For months, this went on. I thought I would kill her. I thought about giving up. I thought I was insane, and that nothing I’d read really explained just how hard it was going to be. And this included in the middle of the night. One thing I’d read was that you should try to wake your puppy up and take them outside before they woke you up. So every two hours, for three weeks, I would wake up to take her out. I was a miserable human being. I cannot even imagine doing that for a baby for a year or more. Props to the human parents is all I’ll say.

But I stuck it out. I’d committed to her, and I was determined to see it through. She’s come a long way in the last three years, and we’ve definitely bonded over a love of frisbee. The girl can jump.

Belle, on the other hand, has minor destructive tendencies. She’ll chew on things she really shouldn’t, if given the chance and she’s peckish enough. Things like books, baseboard, or the leg of a dresser, for example. But rarely. Other than that, she picked up potty training in a few weeks. She listens well, and she follows Jas like a little shadow. I think she’s made Jas a happier dog, and she’s made me a happier human. I’ve heard both ways about two dogs, but I’d swear it makes life so much easier when they have each other to play with, especially with one being older. Belle was a foster I had no intention of keeping (silly me, I know). I thought she’d be like Jas, and I’d have no trouble letting her go. I learned something.

Puppies are all different, and there’s no way to tell what they’re going to be like. The best you can do is research, plan, and hope for the best. Stick to your guns early, decide what’s really important, and don’t let the puppy be the boss. You have to make sure they know you’re the pack leader, you’re in charge, and they can’t bully you into what they want.

Most of all, make sure you’re aware of the time and dedication it’s going to take to turn your rampaging little ball of fur into the companion you’re hoping for.

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